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References
- 1. Zettler, E. R., Mincer, T. J., & Amaral-Zettler, L. A. (2013). Life in the “Plastisphere”: Microbial Communities on Plastic Marine Debris. Environmental Science & Technology, 130619162220002. doi:10.1021/es401288x
- 2. Carson, H. S., Nerheim, M. S., Carroll, K. A., & Eriksen, M. (2013). The plastic-associated microorganisms of the North Pacific Gyre. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 75(1-2), 126–132. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.07.054
- 3. Reisser, J., Shaw, J., Hallegraeff, G., Proietti, M., Barnes, D. K. A., Thums, M., … Pattiaratchi, C. (2014). Millimeter-Sized Marine Plastics: A New Pelagic Habitat for Microorganisms and Invertebrates. PLoS ONE, 9(6), e100289. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0100289
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About This Project
While many studies have focused on the visible impact of ocean plastic, we know much less about the impact of microbes that choose plastic as their home, forming the so-called plastisphere. The goal of my project is to evaluate the microbial diversity on floating plastic such as retail plastic bags in coastal waters and its potential impact on humans living on coastal areas. The project uses metagenomic next generation sequencing and standard microbiology techniques.
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